Reimagining Cherry Street in Sumas: WWU Students Plan for Environmental Resilience

Authors: Daron Skinner and Alexander Lindamood

Western Washington University’s Urban Planning students have been working with the City of Sumas for their year-long senior studio. Students are helping to reimagine Cherry Street (State Route 9) taking into consideration key pedestrian infrastructure, economic development opportunities, and flood-proofing. The latter is critically important. In December, Sumas experienced a devastating flood, with over four feet of water flooding Cherry Street and much of the community. The recent flooding hampered recovery efforts that had been underway since the catastrophic 2021 flooding.

Students in the program volunteered in collaboration with the Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group to help clear damage and debris from local businesses and homes. Students are trying to plan around future flood events in Sumas and are incorporating ideas from a natural hazards planning course that several students are in. In that course, they are learning about mitigation strategies for floods, earthquakes, and other natural hazards.